Method and apparatus for delivering viscous glass



PIFH 9, E929 o. M. TUCKER Ef AL 1,708,069

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING VISCOUS GLASS Qrgnal Filed Aug. 12,1918 I 5 j I BY @MA-1@ A TTORNEY aparte autres stares' earner corsica.

orrvnn su. abonan. man tummeln s. nnnvns, or' COLUMBUS, omo, essrenon-s,BY inneren ASSIGNMENTS, To HARTFORD-EMPIRE consenti', or inseriremo,corinnerIcU'r, .e componenten or nnaewenr..

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING VISCOUS GLASSu Original application:tiled August 1.2, 1918, Serial No. 249,421. Divided andthisapplication. filedl September '29, y19M.

Our invention relates to a method and apparatus for delivering viscousglass. Tt has particular reference to such a, spout in connection with aglass furnace, being primarily designed to meet certain requirements inthe productionof en bloc charges preformed as to shape and dimensionsand the dropping and settling of such charges right side up in the moldswhere they are lo to be further treated.`

Others have devised spouts which deliver viscous glass from furnace tomold and others have provided means for heating the glass in such'spouts But, the production of preformed charges and the proper depositthereof calls for certain accuracies that are only attainable by specialmeasures of control. `For instance, glass being delivered through aspout frequently develops strata 2@ of different temperatures and, ifthis condition persists in the glass being actuallyvdelivered from thedelivery orifice of the spout,

l the charges will frequently curve, because one iside is colder thanthe other or will he 2e otherwise of uneven consistency. Then, the`curved charges will not properly settle in their molds while theVuneven consistency will. prevent proper subsequent treatment, as byblowing thin, et cetera. These are 3o merely examples of numerousdefects due to improper temperature control. lWe have solved a. verybothersome problem by iir'st providing a spout which is thoroughly inp Isulated and then equip ing such spout with e5 means whereby the te-perature of both the spout interior and the glass can be efficientlyregulated, y Y

Thus, regardless of variations in furnace conditions, we have devisedapparatus for le delivering charges of viscous glass of chosen quantity,quality and uniformity. Tn this way, we have talzen the handling oflglass one step further away from formerly existing limitations inherentin the problem of extracting viscous glass from furnaces whose internalconditions are inevitably everchanging.

.This application is a division of our copending application, filedAugust 12, 1918, Serial No. 249,421, a method andapparatus fordelivering viscous glass.

The preferred embodiment of our inven- Serial No. 740,478.

tion is shown in the accompanying drawings wherein:

lt1` igure-l is a longitudinal section of our spout structure, shownappliedto a furnace.

Figure 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.- l

Figure 3 is a partial section, taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

The top, bottom, sidesv and ends of the yspout 1 are thoroughlyinsulatedfas at 4.

"We have provided several means, additionalto the insulation, forcontrolling the internal temperature of the spout and the temperature ofthe glass at different points in such spout. Tn the first place, boththe channel and the hood of the spout are enlai-ged at. their receivingend, as at 5. This facilitates inlet of the glass and the heat currentsfrom the glass furnace. More important, still, the wide channel for theglass results in slow movement of the glass at this point and it willappear that' we utilize this 'condition for temperature regulationbefore the glass passes into the heavily insulated narrow channel. Thus,before the glass reaches the delivery orifice Where it has a morerapidmovement, it lhas ample time for the heated and chilled strata. todiffuse and bring about the delivery of charges of any desired vuniformtemperature and consistency. From itsy wide portion, the spout taperstoward its delivery end where itis rovided with a valve-controlled draftflue 6 lined with refractory and insulating material and leading out ofthe top of the spout nose to assist in drawing the heat currents fromthe furnace through the spout, above and in direct contact with theglass in such spout. Thus the glass passes through the spout with aminimum amount of wall-frietion andthe heat currents are readilycontrolled.

The Walls of the spout are provided with a channel which is shown at 7as extending 'around three sides of the spout adjacent the juncture ofthe spout with the furnace and' vention that we positively influence thetem- -furnace so as to directly modify the ed'ect of such currents uponthev glass and wall surfaces andin time, to modify the ed'ect of thewall surfaces upon the glass. llt will be obvious that the channel Zimay be ramied to various points in the walls of the spout. However, itis an important fact of our in` perature of the glass very near themoment when it enters the spout, thereby giving ample opportunity fordiffusion of the impressed temperature 'during the time the glasstravels to the delivery orifice.

llt is likewise of considerable importance that the outer lining aroundthe channel blocks 2 is spaced from the furnace wall as at 20. This isan important structural feature, due to the fact that there is a ten.

dency for the glass in the furnace to destructively erode and seepthrough the joints 'question are'chilled by the atmosphere suflicientlyto prevent destructive erosion of the wall blocks` and leakage and, evenif any slight leakage occurs, the glass will merely drip down onto `thefloor, since it cannot reach the channel 7.

lln addition the spout is provided in its walls, with ports 9 that arepreferably oblique and which are so located as to make possible thedirect application of heating or cooling-blasts to any area above theupper surface of the glass in the spout. Furthermore, there is provideda port 10 in the top of a lid 11 of the spout nose, this port permittingthe application Aof either a heating or .cooling blast within such noseandadjacent the delivery orifice. 'The lidl is particularly desirablebecause it is removable to gi've l ready access to the glass in thespout.

rfhus, the temperature of the glass and spout walls at every point isunder positive control and this control is so complete that the .glassmay be brought to the delivery orifice at any desired uniformilconsistency and at any ,rate of movement within chosen the deliveryorifice ofthe spout, .which means takesthe form of a cup 12 movable intoand out of-closing relation to the bottoniend of the spout orifice. Whenin position, gas under 'pressure is fed to the cup and v burned thereinwhile the cup is closed with the exception of an extremely small outletfor the products of combustion, so that an intense heat is applied tothe clay bushing 3.

moana@ 'insurea uniform temperature and rate of movement at the deliveryorice. A large part of the uniformity of temperature and rate ofmovement isattributable to the in.-

Sula-tion upon the spout, for it greatly enhances surety of control,although the various features of control are all important.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. The method of conditioning molten glass for delivery from a spout,which comprises passing the glass through a long, narrow insulated spoutchannel in a stream which gradually decreases in width from the inletportion to the discharge portion of the spout, and subjecting the glassat the wide inlet, intermediate and narrow discharge portions of thechannel to separate temperature-modifying mediums.

2. The method of conditioning molten glass 'for delivery from a spout,which com- .prises passing the'glass through a long, narrow insulatedspout channel in av stream which gradually decreases in width from theinlet por-tion to the discharge portion of the spout, and applyingseparate temperaturemodifying mediums to the surface of the glass at thewide inlet, intermediate and l narrow discharge portions of the spoutchannel.

3. rllhe method of conditioning molten `glass for delivery from a spout,which comprises passing the glass through a long, narrow insulated spoutchannel in a stream which gradually decreases in width from the inletportion to the discharge portion vof the spoilt, subjecting the glassatthe Wide inlet 'to a temperature-modifying medium applied to the wallsofthe spout and the surface of the glass, and `subjecting the glass atthe narrow discharge portion to a flame directed along the surface ofthe glass.

. 4. The method ofl 'conditioning molten glass for delivery from aspout, which comprises passing the glass through a long, narrowinsulated spout channelv in a stream which gradually decreases in widthfroln the inlet portion to the discharge portion of the spout,subjecting the glass at the wide inlet to a temperature-modifying mediumapplied downwardly and forwardly to the surface of the glass.

The method of conditioning molten glass for use in glassware fabricatingapparatus, which comprises dowing glass in a stream of substantiallyconstant depth and glass and thence upwardly from the isc of regularlydecreasing width for the greater part of its length from a source ofsupply through an enclosed space having a length substantially greaterthan the width of its widest portion and having a regularly decreasingheight and width for the greater part of its length, passing the glassthrough an outlet at the outer end of said space, and regulating thetemperature of the glass by introducing temperature influencing fluidsinto said enclosed space at a plurality of places along the length ofsaid space to maintain uniform the viscosity and temperature of theglass passing through the outlet. A

6. The method of conditioning molten glass for use in glasswarefabricating apparatus, which comprises flowing glass from a meltingltank through a spout having a discharge orifice adjacent to its outerend in a stream having a relatively great width on entering the spout,regularly decreasing the width of the stream for-the greater part of itslength, then maintaining the stream at a uniform and relatively slightwidth for the final part of its length, and regulating the rate ofmovement and the viscosity of the stream during its changes in width bysubjecting the stream and the internal Walls of the spout to the actionof a plurality of temperature influencing agencies applied at placesspaced longitudinally of the spout.

7. The method of conditioning molten glass for use in glasswarefabricating apparatus', which comprises flowing glass from a meltingtank in a stream of substantially constant depth and regularlydecreasing width for the greater part of its -length through anenclosed-space having its top wall formed to slope toward its outer endfor the greater part of its length, discharging successive portions ofthe glass from said stream periodically through an outlet at the outerend of said enclosed space,cdrawin g off heated gases from above thestream of glass at the outer end of the enclosed space, and v regulatingthe temperature and viscosity of the stream by introducing temperatureinfluencing fluids into the enclosed space above the stream of glass ata plurality of places along the length thereof.

8. In a glass-working apparatus, the combination with a melting tankhaving an outlet, of a relatively long and narrow spout connected at oneend with the outlet of the,

melting tank, said spout having its glass conducting channel formed tobe of greater width at the glass-receiving end thereof than elsewherealong its length and to decrease in width from said relatively widereceiving portion for the greater part of its length, said spout havin(ya discharge orifice at the outer end of sai glass conducting channel andhaving a hollow embracing ring portion for feeding a temperaturemodifying fluid into the relatively wide receiving end portion of theglass conducting channel of the spout.

v9. A spout for delivering viscous glass froln a furnace, comprising arelatively long hollow body open at oney end and adapted for connectionat its open end with the outlet of a melting tank or furnace, said spoutbody being formed internally to produce a flow channel having asubstantially flat bottom and having a cover sloping from the receivingendy of the spout for the greater part of its length, said spout bodyhaving a discharge orifice in the bottom of the flow channel adjacent tothe outer end ofthe lat' ter and being insulated externally practicallythroughout, and having ports at a plurality of places along its lengththrough which temperature influencing fluids may be delivered into saidflow channel, certain of said ports extending through the walls of thespout body in directions oblique to the direction of length of the flowchannel.

In testimony whereof, we hereby allix our signatures. l

OLIVER M. TUCKER. WILLIAM A. REEVES.

